Shipping and display cartons



April 14, 1959 c, E. WOEBER ErAL 2,831,914 SHIPPING AND DISPLAY ICARTONS 'Filed April 2s, 1954 i 2 Sheets-Sheet-l INVENTOR CARL E. WOEBER RAYMOND V. WOEBER By I Swim/w J 'Swmw ATTORNEYS April 14, 1959- v c. a. w'oEBE- HAL 2,881,914

Filed- April 28, 1954 SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR am E. WOEBERI m y/wo/vu v. WOEBE/Z BY JOHN GIBSON SEMMES ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,881,914 SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CARTONS Carl E. Woeber and Raymond V. Woeber, Springfield, Ohio, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to The Forsum Company, Springfield, Ohio, a corporation Application April 28, 1954, Serial No. 426,224 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-45) The present invention relates broadly to cartons and more particularly to shipping and display cartons for fragile articles, such as glass jars or bottles.

An.object of the present invention is to provide a paper or cardboard carton in which such fragile articles can be packaged for pleasing display and which also is adaptable for safe shipping of the articles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a display carton having means for packaging a plurality of glass jars or bottles in spaced and supported relationship, and including buffer means between the individual jars to prevent breakage.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a display and shipping carton for a plurality of frangible jars, having positive positioning and locking of the jars, and which at the same time permits a substantial portion of the side walls of the jars to extend through openings in the sides of the carton for display purposes.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a display and shipping carton for frangible articles having bufier strips between individual jars, and additionally protective end flaps whereby a plurality of containers having the jars therein can be packed in contiguous relationship for shipping in larger cartons or cases.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a display carton having a plurality of display openings in the sides through which the merchandise is attractively displayed to a retail purchaser, and wherein the openings are formed by'integral infolding flaps or tabs hinged to the side walls of the carton. The flaps when folded inwardly constitute the butler means between the individual jars in the carton.

An additional and important object of the present invention is to provide a single piece blank for forming a display carton which has slits forming flaps for inward folding to form bufiers between adjacent jars, and at the same time display openings for merchandise. Fold lines are provided to facilitate bending of the blank to form the'completed carton.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a blank for forming a display carton having slits defining inwardly bendable flaps or tabs, and wherein the corners of the slits where the flaps are attached to the blank are curved or rounded, whereby the openings, formed by inwardly bending the flaps or tabs, have contours conforming to jars or bottles which partially extend through the openings formed.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming the carton of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the carton of the present invention showing a plurality of jars in place therein;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the display carton, a portion thereof being broken away to disclose the buffer tabs between adjacent jars or bottles;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the display carton of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a blank showing a modification of the slits for the tab portions;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modification; and

Fig. 7 is an end view of the modification shown in Figure 6.

The blank to be formed into a carton is generally designated 10 in Fig. 1, and can consist of any desired material used in the art, such for example as cardboard. The blank can have printed matter thereon for identification or for advertising purposes. The blank 10 is generally of rectangular shape and consists of two side portions 11 and 12, a top portion 13, and end portions 14 and 15, adapted to overlap in assembled relationship of the carton. The side, top and bottom portions of the blank are defined by fold lines, indicated by broken lines at 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Fig. 1 of the drawings. These fold lines are formed in the usual manner. The bottom portion 15 can be provided with a strip of adhesive material at 20 although it is to be understood that this is not necessary since staples or other securing means can be utilized.-

Each of the side portions 11 and 12 of the blank 10 have a plurality of spaced parallel slits 21, asalso a central dividing slit 22. These slits are so arranged as to form a plurality of flaps or tabs 23 and 24 in pairs, and separated from one another by the central slit 22. The flaps 23 and 24 are hinged to the material of the blank at their outer longitudinal extremities at 25 and 26. As will be seen from Fig. l of the drawings the corners of the slits 21 are rounded or curved at 27 for purposes hereinafter to be set forth.

The flaps 23 and 24 are adapted to be folded inwardly when the side .portions 11 and 12 are bent into vertical position. The position of the flaps when turned inwardly can be seen from Fig. 3, and in this position form display openings or windows at 28 in the opposite parallel sides of the assembled carton. The inwardly turned flaps are adapted to coact with one another to form a buffer between adjacent or contiguous jars in the display carton, as also shown in Fig. 3. A plurality of jars 29 constructed of glass or other frangible material, and having screw tops 30 or the like, are positioned in the folded blank in such a manner that substantial portions of their sidewalls extend through the openings 28, and thereafter the bottom portions 14 and 15 are placed in overlapping relationship and secured to one another by means of the adhesive 20 or in any other desired manner.

The assembled display carton securely positions and holds the jars 29 by coaction between the jars and the edges of the openings 28; The openings 28 permit a retail purchaser to clearly see the merchandise being displayed, and the display carton presents a very pleasing appearance particularly due to portions of the jars extending through the openings.

As will be seen from the drawings each of the jars 29, in the position in which they are placed in the carton, are separated internally of the carton by the butfers, consisting of flaps 23 and 24 inwardly turned, between contiguous or adjacent jars. These flaps 23 and 24follow generally the contours of the sides of the jars as shown in section in Fig. 3. Additionally, on the exterior sides of the carton, separator strips 31 are formed between adjacent windows or openings 28 and which can be utilized for printed matter in an obvious manner. Only by forming the opposed windows 28 in two sides 11 and 12 of the blank, can the display carton of the present invention lie-formed and in which the flaps 23 and .24 .will extend inwardly from opposite sides of the carton, adjacent each window, and coact with one another to form generally hour-glass shaped buifers between the individual jars. The material utilized and the shape assumed by the four inturned flaps between .adjacent jars provides sufficient rigidity to position and hold the jars, and at the .same time 'thereis inherent :in the construction aresiliency to provide a cushioning effect.

The rounded corners 27 in the slits, in the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 :and 2 of the drawings, in the assembled carton conform to the contours of the jar portions extending through the windows 28. This is particularly true of the bottoms .of the .jars which in many instances are rounded or'curved in-amanner well known in the art. The relationship is indicated at '32 inIFig. 2.

The flaps at the outer extremities .of the assembled carton, indicated 'at 23' in Fig. 3,serve as buffer means between 'adjacent'assembled cartons when being shipped in larger containers or cases. While this :is :a desirable feature under some circumstances, these end flaps can be removed, either in the formation of the blank or after assembly of the carton. The carton, even though the endflaps are removed, still constitutes a highlysatisfactory display carton and for some uses the removal of the end flaps might be desirable.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings a modified form .of the slits in the blank is shown. In this figure the blank is :indicated at 3'3 and the peripheral slits at 34. The central dividing slit is shown at 35. The corners .36 of the slits, where the flaps 37 and 38 are hinged to the material of the :blank, are formed as right angles with a short length of slit 39 extending around the corner. The corner'in this modification is not rounded as in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2. When angular and straight sided jars means are to be used this form might be preferable.

When the jars have been placed in position and the container closed, the configuration of the jars and the relationship of various portions of the carton tends to how the separator strips 31 to conform to the contours of the jars, and this in turn varies slightly "the disposition and shape of the flaps 23 and 24 in inturned position.

Another feature of the present invention, .as shown in Figures 6 and 7, is that the blank can be so utilized as to form a triangular shaped carton asdistinguished from the rectangular shape shown in the drawings. This is accomplished by using the'top portion 13 as a base and drawing the upper :ends of side portions 11 and 1210- .gether. The bottom portions 14 and .15 can then serve as .a handle, and if desired could have perforations or slits :forming push-out portions stamped therein during manufacture ofthe blank. The :buffer flaps in this modification would act in the same manner as the other configuration. This shape 'can be used with bottles or con- :tainers having a smaller top 'Jthan bottom as used and-well known in the merchandise industry.

'It will be apparent from the foregoing that the pres- :ent invention provides 'a highly satisfactory and safe display and shipping carton for frangible jarsand the like. Manifestly many minor modifications, and changes .in minor details, will beapparent to thoseskilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, as definedin the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, an article'display andshipping cartonand a plurality .of cylindrical frangible containers arranged in a single row in said carton, said carton comprising at least two side portions and a bottom portion, said side portions having slits therein forming pairs of centrally divided vertically hinged flaps, said flaps being folded inwardly into the carton to form opposed openings in the two side portions of the carton, said inwardly folded flaps having vertical edges, said vertical .edges of saidinwardly folded flaps on one side of said carton abutting medially of said carton the vertical edges of the inwardly folded .flaps on the other side of said carton, said flaps in abutting relationship conforming to the shape of containers mounted in the carton in spaced relation between sets of said flaps and constituting article buffers and spacers between said openings and between adjacent containers, peripheral portions of said containers extending through opposed openings in frictional binding engagement therewith.

2. In combination, a plurality of substantially cylindrical frangible food containers or the like arranged in a single row and an article display and shipping carton for said containers, said carton comprising a base, a top andtwo longitudinally extending sides, a plurality of opposed vertically arranged openings in spaced relation in said sides, substantial portions of said articles extending through opposed ones of said openings and being held thereby in .wedging engagement and flaps formed integrally with said sides and extending inwardly of said openings, between said articles in vertical relationship and said buffer flaps comprising vertically slit, centrally divided, substantially rectangular shaped members hingedly secured at their outer edges along vertical fold lines to said sides, thedistance between adjacent vertical slits being greater than the diameter of said articles, said flaps in one side being bendable inwardly through said openings and coacting with flaps likewise bent inwardly from the other side, opposed pairs of fiaps beingin substantially abutting relationship medially of the carton and forming substantially hour-glass shaped cushioning and positioning buffers between adjacent articles in said row.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 2, said fiaps closest to the longitudinal ends of said carton constituting end buffer flaps when said cartons are placed in end to end relationship with other cartons.

4. A carton as claimed in claim 2, said sides being inclined toward one another from the base to the top thereof and forming a substantially triangular shaped carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

